Saturday, July 13, 2013

Verdict in Zimmerman Case July 13

George Zimmerman Trial Reaches It Verdict

It was a long day for the jury in the George Zimmerman trial, but finally at 10:00 pm EST the six women reached a unanimous verdict of
Not Guilty. Though I am sure this is a blow for the family of Trayvon Martin,
it does not come as a surprise. Throughout this week, news organizations
covering the trial remarked that the prosecution did not do an adequate job
making its case and that the defense was clearly winning.

Outside the courtroom supporters of both Trayvon Martin and
George Zimmerman gathered and awaited the final verdict. Though the trial has
ended, I am sure that in the days to come the discussion will continue. One
topic sure to be discussed is whether the prosecution should have argued
manslaughter instead of second degree murder. In my opinion, I feel
manslaughter should have been the goal for it is the easiest charge to prove
and most fit to the crime. That fateful night, Zimmerman might not have had
malice in his mind when he killed Martin, but he most definitely exhibited negligence
with taking the law into his own hands and deciding to shoot an unarmed young
adult.

I am even more interested to see the political fallout from
this case. Two big issues this case covered was profiling and gun control. Now
that Zimmerman managed to get away with killing an unarmed teenager without any
penalty, I wonder what precedent this will set for profiling and gun laws. Will
all neighborhood watch volunteers arm themselves when they go out on patrol?
Instead of just reporting suspicious activity to trained professionals, will
they now think it is okay to engage with suspicious people because if something
happens they can pass it off as self-defense? Moreover what will this verdict
mean for profiling? Zimmerman followed Martin because he was a young black man.
If people believe that this verdict defends profiling, will it become more
prevalent and lead to more violence? In my opinion, if some man was following
me at night, I would feel threatened which I assume Trayvon did. Not being there
that night, I do not know what Trayvon was feeling or what Zimmerman was doing,
but if I was being followed I would feel threatened and take
actions to protect myself. Who is to say if the roles were reversed and
Zimmerman had been shot by Trayvon, Trayvon would not have used the exact same
defense of self-defense. Hopefully, instead of being an excuse for profiling,
this case will get people to participate in a serious discussion about not only
the injustice of profiling but also the dangers.

Though the verdict has been read, I do not believe this
trial is over. It has been a custom for families who do not get the verdict
they want in the criminal case to then sue the defendant in civil court and I would
not be surprised if this is the Martin’s family next step. Though the
prosecution could not convince a jury that Zimmerman unjustly killed Trayvon, I
think another lawyer could easily convince a jury in a wrongful death lawsuit.
So even though Zimmerman might not have to spend the rest of his life in jail,
I do not believe he is out of legal troubles yet. It will be interesting to see
if the Martin family takes this route and if they are successful in the
endeavor.

Though this trial has reached a conclusion continue looking
for my posts because I am sure there is a lot more developments to unfold.

2 comments:

Crazy Case! It disappoints me that the only punishment Zimmerman is receiving are a few lawyer bills, but as you said his legal troubles may not be over. I have not been following the case as closely as you so maybe you could answer the question as to; isn't it illegal to disobey the police as Zimmerman clearly did when he ignored the command to stop his pursuit of Trayvon? How can that alone go without punishment? Also in regard to profiling Obama said it himself it could have been his child. I hope this can get things going up in Washington on at least one of the two topics (Gun Control & Racial Profiling)Anyway good post!

I knew that I had to come to your blog as soon as I heard the verdict was out. What is your opinion on the spontaneous outbreak of peaceful protests across the country in reaction to the court decision? It seems to me that the public is far more inclined to discuss race issues in these protests instead of gun control. I definitely agree with you that this case has not ended despite the completion of the trial.